Enya was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer

Hi, Enya's mom Vickie here. In July 2021, during a routine vet visit, a lump was detected on Enya's throat. Being an older dog, we had hoped that it was nothing more than a harmless fatty tumor, but the vet was concerned that it might be something more. We had it aspirated on the spot and quickly sent out for analysis. Just three days later we received the devasting results.

 

My beautiful girl has Thyroid Cancer. One of the rarest cancers found in dogs. Ironically, I am a Thyroid Cancer survivor myself.

 

Because Enya was 13 years old at the time (she just turned 14 on December 30th) and because removal of this kind of tumor is very risky because of its location and vascular involvement, it was recommended that surgery would not be a great option. An x-ray was also done to be sure that it had not begun metastasizing to her lungs and it had not. She was given a chance at living comfortably for another 3-6 months at best. It was also advised, at the time, that radiation and/or Chemo might be too taxing on her system and would most likely diminish the quality of her life in our effort to increase the quantity of her life. While I wanted my girl to be with me as long as possible, I was not going to sacrifice her comfort or happiness in the process.

 

Fast forward to the present, 6 months after her initial diagnosis, and she is still going strong. The tumor's growth has been slowed somewhat through use of holistic herbals prescribed by our vet, but it is still growing. It is not yet interfering with her eating, drinking or breathing. Nor is it causing any prominent discomfort that is affecting her activity, spirit, or feisty and playful attitude. She is still bounding around the yard, wrestling with her brother Harrison, has a healthy appetite, and is up to cuddling at any given time.

 

I totally trust my regular vet and I also did some research on my own that pointed in the direction of not pursuing a surgical procedure... but as time marches on it is hard to avoid second guessing oneself. I believe my girl deserves another chance at complete removal of the tumor because that is the only "cure." I decided to get another opinion from an oncologist.

 

Today the oncologist had a surgeon examine her growth and he believes that it is free moving enough to be taken out successfully. Surgical removal could add as many as 2-3 quality years to her life! But before even considering going forward we need to do a series of tests and scans to be sure that what the surgeon felt with his hands is an accurate depiction of what is going on with the cancer itself. We need to do another round of x-rays to check that it still has not spread anywhere else, and we need to do an echocardiogram to be sure that her heart is okay to undergo surgery. If those all look good, the next step would be a CT Scan, but we are not even addressing that until we have these results. This all has to be done quickly if we have any chance at all, so we are scheduled to do these preliminary tests on this coming Saturday.

 

I want to give my girl the best chance. She means the world to me. I hope and pray that my little girl will be a Thyroid Cancer Survivor just like her mom. Can you help us achieve that dream by either donating towards her care or sharing her story? I can't thank you enough for the time you took to read this long story. I've never been good at keeping things short and sweet. Plus, I want you to know as much about what is happening as I can. Thank you!